Dr. James Hiram Bedford, a professor and World War I veteran, became the first person
to undergo cryonic preservation after his death in 1967 due to metastatic kidney cancer.
Familiar with the concept from Dr. Robert Ettinger’s book The Prospect of Immortality,
Bedford requested to be frozen after his passing. His body was preserved in liquid nitrogen
at minus 196 degrees Celsius. Years later, Alcor found his body well-preserved, though
his face appeared younger than his age. Over 50 years later, Bedford remains frozen,
with his final words expressing hope that future generations would benefit from the scientific breakthrough.
